Calvin Trillinon Texas Barbecue Rankings – A former rodeo clown and a woman named Tootsie make the best brisket in Texas, with notes of cookie dough and a hint of George Clooney.

Todd Oppenheimerprofiles Bob Kramer, maker of custom blades – He's a former Ringling Brothers clown who melds steel into culinary weapons, chopping all manner of things in the meantime, including bolts and “a roll of bamboo six inches thick (…an old samurai training trick, meant to simulate cutting through a body).”

Burkhard Bilgerweighs in on Dogfish Head beers and “the rise of extreme beer” – Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery finds “the term ‘extreme beer’ irredeemably pejorative.” Which should entice you to drink as much of it as you can find.